If you've been scrolling Sephora Canada's Instagram comments lately, you'll know the energy has shifted. Since the tariff conversation hit in early 2025, Canadians have been flooding beauty brands' social feeds demanding one thing: a clear list of which brands at Sephora Canada are actually Canadian. Cheekbone Beauty's founder called it something she'd never seen before. Nudestix started posting Canadian brand roundups on their own Instagram. Sephora Canada itself was inundated with requests.

So here it is — a straight answer to the question Canadians are actually asking. No ILIA (founded in Oregon, not Canada, despite what you may have read elsewhere). No RMS Beauty (Canadian-born founder, US-based brand). Just the brands that are genuinely Canadian and available at Sephora Canada right now.

The Canadian Brands at Sephora Canada

Nudestix (Toronto, ON)

Founded by Toronto sisters Ally and Taylor Frankel, Nudestix is one of the most recognizable Canadian beauty brands on Sephora's shelves. The entire brand is built around easy, multi-purpose makeup — sticks, pencils, and crayons that do double and triple duty so you can get out the door faster. During the Buy Canadian movement of 2025, Nudestix went further than most — actively posting lists of Canadian beauty, fashion, and home brands on their Instagram and encouraging their audience to shop local. That's the kind of Canadian community spirit that deserves recognition.

Must-try products:

• Nudies Blush Stick — the cult favourite, works on cheeks, eyes, and lips

• Magnetic Matte Lip Crayon — intensely pigmented, long-wearing

• Lip + Cheek Pencil — the ultimate one-product solution for busy days

Cheekbone Beauty (St. Catharines, ON)

Cheekbone Beauty holds a distinction that matters: it is the only Indigenous-owned colour cosmetics brand at Sephora Canada. Founded by Jenn Harper, the brand was built with a clear mission — to make Indigenous youth feel seen and represented in the beauty industry. During the tariff conversation in 2025, Harper was vocal about the Buy Canadian moment, highlighting Cheekbone's place as a genuinely Canadian, genuinely Indigenous brand on Sephora's shelves.

The Sustain Lipstick — refillable, biodegradable packaging, bold colours — has become a community favourite, and for good reason. This is Canadian beauty with purpose behind every product.

Must-try products:

• Sustain Lipstick — refillable, biodegradable, and beautifully pigmented

• Harmony Lipgloss — refillable, four shades including Birch and Fire

• Foundation Range — inclusive shades with Indigenous representation at the heart

Sahajan (Canada)

Sahajan is a Canadian-owned and Canadian-made skincare brand rooted in Ayurvedic tradition, and it has become one of the most loved Canadian brands in the Sephora community. Founder Lisa Mattam co-founded the Shop Canadian Indie Beauty Collective in response to the 2025 tariffs — pulling together Canadian beauty brands and promoting them to conscious shoppers. "It has never been more important to shop Canadian" is how she put it, and the Sephora community agrees. Reviews consistently rave about the Radiance Vitamin C Face Serum — "my skin has never been so glowy" is the kind of thing you hear again and again.

While primarily skincare, Sahajan's glow-focused formulas blur the line between skincare and makeup in the best possible way.

Must-try products:

• Radiance Vitamin C Face Serum — the community favourite, genuinely transformative

• Essential Cleansing Oil — turmeric and moringa, skin-loving ingredients

• Balance Toner — AHAs and Vitamin C for that lit-from-within look

MAC Cosmetics (Toronto, ON)

To be honest about MAC: Estée Lauder acquired the brand in 1998, so it hasn't been independently Canadian-owned for a long time. That's worth knowing. That said, MAC was born in a small Toronto salon in 1984, many operations remain Toronto-rooted, and the brand's legacy as a Canadian beauty pioneer is real. The pigmentation, the staying power, the shade range — MAC built the standard that most makeup brands still measure themselves against.

If you're at Sephora and want to put Canadian beauty history in your bag, MAC still counts.

Must-try products:

• Fix+ Setting Spray — the professional makeup artist staple

• Lady Danger Lipstick — the iconic blue-red that built a cult following

• Studio Fix Foundation — full coverage, long-wearing, decades of trust

Basma Beauty (Toronto, ON)

Basma Beauty's origin story is one of the most remarkable in Canadian beauty. Founder Basma Hameed was burned by hot oil as a toddler in Iraq, and spent years unable to find a foundation that actually worked on her scarred skin. So she spent decades developing her own skin tone pigments — first through a scar camouflage clinic she opened in Toronto, then through a makeup brand built on everything she learned treating thousands of real people with real skin. The Foundation Stick launched in 2021 and went viral almost immediately, eventually landing in Sephora Canada stores with one of the widest shade ranges of any stick foundation on the shelf — 42 shades, all developed with undertone accuracy front of mind.

Must-try products:

• The Foundation Stick — 42-shade, hydrating stick foundation built for real skin tones and textures

• The Cream Blush — a buttery, buildable blush that doubles as a lip tint, co-created with the brand's TikTok community

Blume (Canada)

Blume is a Canadian wellness and beauty brand that has been building a loyal community since its founding. The brand's founder confirmed Blume's place as a Canadian brand at Sephora Canada on social media during the Buy Canadian push — making it one of the more recently verified additions to this list. Clean ingredients, community-focused values, and products designed with real people in mind.

Must-try products:

• Melt Down Acne Oil — the hero product with a devoted following

• Daydreamer Body Lotion — clean, Canadian-made, genuinely lovely

• Cloud Nine Moisturiser — lightweight, clean, and community-loved

A Note on Brands That Aren't Actually Canadian

Let's clear up a few things the internet keeps getting wrong.

ILIA Beauty appears on almost every "Canadian brands at Sephora" list — including some that should know better. ILIA was founded in Astoria, Oregon. It is not a Canadian brand. The Sephora community itself has flagged this specifically.

The Ordinary was founded in Toronto as part of the Deciem group and has a genuine Canadian origin story. However, Estée Lauder acquired it, and it is no longer Canadian-owned. Worth knowing before you count it in your Buy Canadian basket.

RMS Beauty was created by Canadian-born makeup artist Rose Marie Swift, but the brand is US-based.

FAQ

Is ILIA Beauty a Canadian brand?

No — despite appearing on many "Canadian brands at Sephora" lists, ILIA Beauty was founded in Astoria, Oregon and is an American brand. It's a common misconception that even some well-known Canadian beauty publications have repeated. The Sephora Canada community has specifically called this out, with members noting they want brands that are "actually based in Canada, so not Ilia." If you're shopping with a Buy Canadian focus, stick to the brands listed above.

Canada's beauty presence at Sephora is smaller than it should be — but the brands that are there are worth knowing and worth supporting. From Cheekbone Beauty's Indigenous-owned mission to Nudestix's Toronto-born ease-first philosophy, these are brands with real Canadian stories behind them.

Whatever happened to Cover FX — wasn't it a Canadian brand?

It was, and it was a good one. Cover FX was founded in 1999 in Toronto by chemist Victor Casale and skin care specialist Lee Graff, originally developed to create high-performance makeup for sensitive and post-procedure skin. For years it was a Sephora Canada staple, particularly loved for its Custom Cover Drops and its genuinely inclusive shade range. In January 2026, parent company AS Beauty announced the brand would wind down operations, pointing to industry pressures including tariffs and a shifting global market. Cover FX is no longer available at Sephora Canada or anywhere else — which is why it doesn't appear on this list, even though it absolutely would have otherwise. If you're looking for a Canadian-founded alternative with that same complexion-first approach, Basma Beauty is the closest thing on shelves right now.

Made by Canadians, for Canadians. From coast to coast to coffee mug.